Today Went Like This:

5:45 - Alarm goes off.

6:15 - After dozing for a half hour I get up, take a shower, get dressed.

6:45 - Make my first round of getting the kids up. Then up to my studio to check my emails. Yes, I am that hooked on my computer.

7:00 - Try again to get everyone up. Then downstairs to feed the cats and dogs, let the dogs outside, make a salad for Ginger's lunch, make sure her snack bag and diabetic test kit are in order for the day, make eggs for the girls, make sure our oldest son is up, dressed and outside to wait for his bus. Sign a permission slip, then negotiate a huge fight between the girls which ends with my 11 year old telling me that gloves are for losers as she slams the door and stands outside waiting to continue the fight with Ginger. I threaten her with bodily harm if she keeps it up. Everyone finally runs to the bus stop and they all make it there with a few minutes to spare.

7:40 - While they are waiting at the bus stop I go out to give the chickens fresh water and scratch for the day. I collect one egg (the chickens are molting and are not laying) and then fill the bird feeders by the house.

7:50 - Go inside and scoop the ashes out of the fireplace, then carry in 3 arm loads of wood. I build a new fire and get it going, then sweep up around the hearth.

8:10 - I let the dogs out, then in again, make myself some eggs, and go up to my studio to read blogs, answer emails and check facebook obsessively.

8:50 - I hear a loud truck out front outside and check to see if it is UPS, even though it is pretty early for him to come by. At the very moment I see it's the garbage truck, I realize that we forgot to put the garbage cans out and I run down two flights of stairs, fly out the front door waving my arms like a crazy housewife with two barking dogs behind me. Luckily, he waited, perhaps taking pity on the idiots that can't remember what day it is and I manage to drag the garbage cans down the snow covered driveway in my slippers. At least I am not still in pj's. I thank him profusely for waiting, we joke a bit and I feel guilty about not giving him some sort of Christmas gift. Sigh.

8:55 - Stoke the fire, get the dogs back in and go back upstairs to my computer.

9:30 - Down to the kitchen to make chocolate crinkles for my son to take to his art class on Friday. Mix up the batter, put it in the fridge then clean up the kitchen. Stoke the fire. Start a load of laundry.

9:50 - Dogs out then in. I go do something with my hair, brush my teeth, then clean up a hairball outside our bedroom door. Back up to the studio. Sit and stare at the computer again.

11:45 - Finally decide to get to work. I pack up three packages that need to get mailed. Tidy up the studio a little, then sit down at the easel to work on a batch of small paintings.

1:15 - I hear Penny barking downstairs, which sets Mr. Wilson off and we run downstairs so they can both go out and bark more for no apparent reason. I put the wash into the dryer, start another load and then scoop out the cat litter box. Stoke the fire, let in the dogs and put them both in their crates downstairs so I can have some peace and I go back upstairs.

1:30 - Check the computer, then back to painting. I finish several small pieces and put a glaze on each of the big figurative paintings.

3:30 - Go downstairs, wash out my brushes, talk to the boys who are now home and give them a few things to do while I am gone.

3:40 - Leave to drive to town.

4:00 - Get to the elementary school to pick up Ginger from the after school jump rope club. Chat with my friend Erica, while waiting, then we both go inside to see why our girls are taking so long.

4:20 - Stop at the post office to mail my packages.

4:50 - Get home. Let the dogs out, check the laundry, add wood to the fire, run up to the studio to check my emails. Oh and the snail mail too where I find more Christmas cards from people who are much more capable than I am.

5:05 - Make Ginger a quick sandwich for dinner. Give her a shot of insulin and check her meter readings for the day.

5:30 - Put dogs in their crates and we all leave for town again.

5:40 - We get to the gym where we meet up with our oldest son's ride to go roller skating with his friends, then wait for my older daughter to come out after her swim practice.

5:55 - Drop off Ginger at the elementary school for a soccer workshop.

6:05 - Instead of driving home yet again, I take my remaining son and daughter to dinner downtown and we have a really nice, enjoyable and relaxing dinner.

7:10 - The three of us go to the CVS to buy some small gifts (candy) for their teachers. Nothing like waiting until the last minute (tomorrow is the last day of school before the break) but at least everything is on sale now.

7:20 - Pick up Ginger from soccer and go home!

7:55 - Get home and inside, dogs out then back in, more laundry, then my son and I make the chocolate crinkle cookies, while we listen to Ginger play her violin. This is her first day using the bow and my son and I both look like we are eating lemons while she is playing.

9:05 Clean up the kitchen, load up the fireplace, turn the lights off, carry up the laundry to fold some other day, or maybe next week.

9:20 - Oops, clean the toilet in the kid's bathroom that is so um, full with something brown and very smelly, that everyone has run screaming from it all night.

9:37 - Up to my studio again to hide the cookies so older son doesn't eat them all while we are all sleeping, and to write today's post.

11:05 - Downstairs to check the fire again, put the dogs in their crates for the night. back up to the bedroom. I look at the laundry that should be folded but decide to ignore it. Brush my teeth, floss, wash my face and finally in bed. I will probably get about two minutes of reading in before falling asleep with the light on.

PS. Doug is out of town today, so it's a bit more hectic for me than usual. Although he does travel 2-3 days per week, so I guess this is normal for part of my week anyway.